Celebrating Valentine's Day with the kids

Kait is an enthusiast of all things writer-ly. She studies creative writing at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver and derives inspiration from her work at the Women's Health Collective, city exploration, and talking to strangers. She a...

Valentine's Day fun for the family

Valentine's Day isn't just for romance. Take a different approach this year, and spread the love to your whole family. Here are some fun ideas for celebrating with your crew.

The sweets, the cards, the whimsical decor... Valentine's Day was made for kids. The day of love can be made special for the whole family on the cheap — it's the time you spend together that matters. Here are our hands-on tips for making the day a blast for your kids. You'll have fun too — we promise.

Decorate together

Why not deck the halls for the day of love? Valentine's Day decor is a great opportunity to get crafty with kids. Some simple ideas include displaying your Valentine's cards by making a garland of them, hanging a heart-shaped mistletoe, cutting heart-shaped paper snowflakes to hang in the window and gathering twigs to display in a vase and hang Valentine's cards from. Listen to a playlist of love-themed songs as you fill the place with hearts.

Pack them a special lunch

Valentine's Day is definitely the day to jazz up their lunch boxes with a few special treats. Make sandwiches and fruits more fun by cutting them with a heart-shaped cookie cutter. A day or two in advance, bake something tasty together to munch on throughout the day. Sugar cookies are a lot of fun to decorate (if you can handle the mess). Write your own special message on one to surprise them.

Hand-deliver cards

Everyone in their class will probably receive a Valentine's Day card, but there are a few special people in your kid's life who deserve some extra TLC on Feb. 14. Hand-deliver cards to your kid's best friend's door as well as to cousins, relatives or other special friends. Bring some sweet offerings as a bonus.

Give a coupon booklet of love

Giving a book of favours your kids can cash in will make them feel super special, and it's a fun alternative to just giving Valentine's Day cards. Make a simple booklet with a different favour on each page. For example, they can pick what to have for dinner one night , a day they don't have to do chores, a movie night, etc. Tailor them to your kids' likes and dislikes. Or make a booklet of "things I love most about you." This will give kids a confidence boost and encourage them to continue what they're doing right.

Have a family dinner party

Make dinner a special event by having your kids choose a theme, such as an all-sweet theme, a chocolate theme or heart-shaped theme. If your kids like to ham it up, incorporate some make-believe into the meal. Recreate a French bistro, make baguette sandwiches, and wear berets. Or pretend you're at a dinner theatre, and have your kids put on a skit to watch. Whatever you do, make it complete with sparkling mocktails and a tasty dessert.